The Daily Muck

Sen. Leahy (D-VT) wants to know if a former White House lawyer testified truthfully during an appellate court nomination hearing about his role in formulating detention policies for enemy combatants. Kavanaugh testified that he had no involvement in the White House debate, but recent new stories from the Washington Post suggest otherwise. (Reuters)

Remember Shirlington Limo, the little firm that could who found its way into a contract with the Department of Homeland Security via ex-Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-CA)? The company was suing DHS for a wrongful termination of contract, but a judge threw the lawsuit out on the grounds that Shirlington submitted their original contract after the application deadline. Legal precedent: no points for late work. (Associated Press)

Gonzales returns to the Senate. July 26th. Get the TiVo ready. (The Politico)

According to a report from the House Oversight and Government Reform, the U.S. government has been reaching new levels of wasteful spending in recent years. Who’s to blame? The report attacks an increase in noncompetitive contracts as well as the increased reliance on private companies to perform government work. Meanwhile, the Washington Post singles out the Department of Homeland Security as an overspending culprit. (ABC’s The Blotter)

Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV) has asked for a million dollars in a recent earmark to expand wilderness area that neighbors some of his property. Mollohan maintains that there is nothing in conflict with the request, and that the project is a high priority for his constituents. Which could well be true, but it might sound more convincing if the earmark request didn’t come amidst a grand jury investigation into his finances. (Roll Call)

Bush has been railing against earmarks and Congressional pork even before the midterm election. Finally, lawmakers on both sides have had enough. The House Appropriations Committee reported that 93 of 321 earmarks in the recent bill came from the president. Appropriators in the Senate have found over 350 from Bush devoted to military construction spending. (The Hill)

The Office of Special Counsel has been urging President Bush to punish his Commerce Department Inspector General for retaliating against two whistle-blowers. It is now a moot point, as the IG announced his resignation during the investigation and is set to retire today. (Washington Post)

Bruce Fein has had enough. He wants Dick “The Fourth Branch” Cheney impeached. (Slate)